


The Icarus

by Bablefishmouse



Series: The Icarus [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Expectation of death, Gen, Hydra, More character cameos, Road Trip, age of ultron what age of ultron, alternate winter soldier, unlikely friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 23:06:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13374984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bablefishmouse/pseuds/Bablefishmouse
Summary: After having his cover blown Steve Rogers leaves the surveillance heavy New York that’s been his home for the rest of the country. And Loki’s coming too. On their way around they meet interesting new people, save some of them and end up facing some familiar enemies.(Can be read standalone)





	The Icarus

## Spring 2014

When Director Nicholas Fury’s car exploded in the middle of DC, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov were in Russia. Siberia to be more precise.

If you wanted to be really finicky about it, they were crouching just outside the barrier a large sunken building with a glass roof. Other than the tall electric fence, and the roof of the seemingly empty facility, the icy landscape was completely empty.

Steve Rogers’s fingers tightened around the radio. “Yes, _sir_ , I can see that. Of course, _sir_ , now if you’ll excuse me-“ he snapped the device and it crumpled into the snow.

“Steve?” Natasha asked, frowning at the small pile of debris.

“Full extermination order.” He spat standing upright. He hefted his shield off his back and looked at the red, white and blue paint for a moment. “Fuck that. Give me your radio.”

“Steve.” Natasha stood up.

“Radio.”

“No.” The Black Widow said.

Steve stared at her for a moment.

“THEY’RE CHILDREN!”

“They’re Assassins.” The Black Widow said coldly, then she softened slightly. “I’m not suggesting we kill them. I’m suggesting we tell SHIELD we did.”

The coldly boiling fury that was about to bubble over in Steve’s eyes relaxed down to a simmer. “Do you want to go back to SHIELD, really? After this?”

“Steve,”

“Really? After this, after the hellicarriers, after Prague, after the deal with Finn?” He frowned. “Do you really want to belong to such an organisation?”

She let out a small fake laugh. “If you think any of those come close to the worst things I’ve done-“

“So what’s the difference?”

“At least in SHIELD I know what I’m doing is for good.”

“How can any organisation which contains and uses an armoury near to Nuclear possibly be good? I can’t honestly believe I stayed after the Helicarriers incident. That targeting software? Maybe on the guns of that sort of power, but what’s to stop the software being transferred? How can you claim that they’re good?”

“I’m sorry things aren’t as black and white as they were in the 40s, Captain.” Agent Romanov smiled, small and dangerous. “But America dropped two bombs on Japan, ki-“

“It also had Japanese Internment camps in the 40s.” Steve interrupted. “I am well aware of the world not being right and wrong. But then we were fighting Nazis, not people fighting for their freedom, or children.”

“If you think that’s all that’s wrong with the people we’re fighting you’re even more naive than I thought.”

“And if you think there aren’t just as many problems with SHIELD then you’re blinder than I thought.”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment.

“Are you going to try to take me in?” Steve asked.

“No.” Agent Romanov sighed. “You’re as dead as they are, as far as SHIELD is concerned.  But they’re going to check the facility.”

“Then we’ll have to get them out of there then, won’t we.”

“Yes, I guess we will.”

## Fall

Steve Rogers, back in New York, but already a little worse for wear, stared at the TV screen in the shop.

“In a memorial to his friend, the late Steven Grant Rogers, otherwise known as Captain America, it was announced today that the once frozen hero, James Buchannan Barnes, will be taking up said mantel as Captain America. As our viewers may remember, it was not two weeks ago that the World War Two hero Bucky Barnes was found in suspended animation. We can only be glad that Hydra never got their hands on our beloved hero despite the numerous trips to the area. Here’s Karen to tell us more…“

It was all going over Steve’s head. Bucky was alive? It had to be-

The screen showed a picture of a somewhat tired looking, and one-armed, Bucky shaking hands with Tony Stark.

It was real. Bucky was alive.

Bucky was alive and Steve was dead, legally.

Fuck.

## 2015

It was so hot. It was so so hot.

The burns were crackling up his side. His skin was flaking and he was completely exposed. It was down to his muscle and-

A cool breeze brushed over him.

Loki looked down at his blue body.  
Still there. He still had skin. He still had clothes. He could work with that.

He looked up noting the remnants of the familiar city, and a rather glaring A illuminated in the distance.

Pathetic.

If they were pathetic what was he?

Stronger. He was stronger.

Loki smirked then walked around the corner. If he was going to conquer this world, well, then there were worse places to start than with the pathetic cretins who stopped him last time.

“OI MATE”

“Are you talking to me?” Loki coolly turned around to face the red-faced fool.

“FUCK OFF!”

Loki sighed. “I really don’t have enough time to deal with you.” He clicked his fingers, expecting the ice burst to kill the man instantly.

Nothing happened.

Loki tried again, more forcibly forming the spear in his mind.

Still nothing.

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Stripped of skin, of magic, of himself.

Loki screamed.

Then he ran.

## 2017

Steve stared at the picture of himself. The picture in the newspaper, unsurprisingly, refused to stare back.

That was him. That was him, looking like him, named and displayed.

He was-

Steve swallowed. Shit.

He look up. Loki didn’t say anything. They looked at the picture.

Distantly Steve heard a shout. A yell of recognition. Or maybe shock at Loki’s blue skin. He wasn’t sure he cared.

Loki dragged him around the corner into a corpse of trees. “By all the blood and sweat of Odin, Borr and Freya I do swear that retribution I shall bring upon them and their dependents tenfold will outstrip-“

“Loki!” Steve stopped him.

He breathed.

“I won’t hold you to the two weeks’ notice.”

“Huh?” 

“If you want to leave, I won’t hold you to it. This wasn’t in the plan.”

“Well then we should have planned better.” Loki frowned. Then pushed himself up into the low branch of one of the trees. He crossed his arms.

Steve nodded, acknowledging the statement for what it was. Then clambered into the tree opposite. “This might be a long wait.”

“We’ve had practice.”

Steve nodded, and settled back against the branch. It was hard underneath his head. He wriggled so that the knot wasn’t quite so awkwardly placed.

“What are you doing you fool?”

“Trying to get more comfortable.”

Loki frowned. “On a tree? I knew you were an idiot, but not a Thor level idiot.”

“You’re brother’s not that bad.”

“Yes. Yes, he is.” Loki said with a great deal of finality.

Steve shrugged. Well, half shrugged, it was difficult with his back against the tree. “I can take the first watch, if you want to get some more sleep.”

“I’ll take it.”

Steve more felt the sun beaming on his eyelids than the call to wake up. They shot open, then squinted at the canopy that was barely enough cover to stop the sun being blinding.

“All quiet?”

“You looked like you were about to fall out the tree.”

Steve looked at him.

“People know I’m not dead now”

“If they had a brain, they knew before,” Loki was shredding a leaf with his hands.

“So… Natasha.”

“If you think your SHIELD didn’t know…”

“I know.” Steve hummed. “But with Fury dead and heavens knows what happened to Hill…” He sighed. “I left them alone and they ignored me. Now they won’t be able to.”

“They did take a remarkably long time to work out that I was on this planet”

“Yeah,” he contemplated the leaves above him. “They did. So what’s the plan, if you think we need better ones?”

“We wait until this park clears, then leave.”

“And go where?”

“North, south? Somewhere with less surveillance, less people and fewer pictures.”  

Thinking about all the places he’d been on the USO tour, Steve remembered something. “I think I know just the place.”

*****

Meanwhile in a tower far above the city five people were staring at Natasha Romanov

“This whole time?” Tony Stark sat upright on his sofa. “You let us think he was dead this whole time?”

“Yes.” She held her ground in front of the screen. “Yes, I didn’t betray the trust of someone I once counted as a friend to let someone he’d barely met know that he was alive. I didn’t even have to put effort into the lie. It really should have been more obvious in hindsight, how little,” she paused for half a second “SHIELD- cared. Even before-“

James Buckhannon Barnes was frozen where he sat.

Bruce waved his hand in front of his face, then put it on his shoulder. “James?”

“STEVE!” He spoke for the first time since seeing the newspaper. “He’s not dead?”

“No,” Bruce confirmed, “Steve’s not dead.”

“I didn’t kill him.” He breathed out in a sigh of relief. “I didn’t kill him, I didn’t, I didn’t…”

“You thought you had?” Clint asked from the other side of the room.

“I couldn’t remember. He’s alive, I didn’t kill him I remember lining up the shot, I remember pulling the trigger. I remember an explosion, I didn’t remember-“

“The red room.” Natasha interrupted. “You were the shooter when we were supposed to take out the new red room” Everyone looked at her. “Steve and I’s last mission. The original was where I was trained. SHIELD ordered us to kill them all. I thought we should get the girls out and lie, Steve wanted to defect. In the end both of us did what we wanted, and I covered for him.” She looked up slightly. “I justified so much for the right side back then.”

“How old where they?”

“Eight, Ten, some of them might have been Thirteen, but I doubt they’d have told us if they were.”

Thor shattered his glass into shards.

“We really should have known sooner.” Tony gritted out.

She didn’t point out that they’d have been active at fourteen. She didn’t point out he was right.

“What else do you know? How is he?” James Barnes leant forward shaking off Bruce’s hand.

“Alive, seemed healthy, no obvious physical injuries. Slightly lighter muscle mass then when I’d last seen him, but not enough as to be unhealthy. Not eating enough, but no worse than reasonable rations.”

“Tash,” Clint cut in.

She sighed. “He still seems to have a straight moral compass on the whole.”

They looked at her.

“He’s working with Loki.”

“WHAT!”

There was a huge clamour.

“HE’S ALIVE!”

“Yes, Loki’s alive. He’s also in New York, blue, and a little over seven foot.”

Thor froze. “Oh,” He let out a bellowing breath. “Oh, ma— could he do magic?”

“He claimed not. I never saw him do anything to counter that claim.”

“Oh,” Thor sank into his seat.

“Thor?”

“Ancient Curse. Or trial, depending on which variant. Loki— “ the irony hit him and he trailed off,” could have told you more.”

“So,” Tony picked up the thread of conversation. “What do SHIELD know?”

“No.” James interrupted, turning back to Natasha, “What else are you keeping from us?”

“That’s relevant?”  She said, smiling sharply automatically.

“Tash?” Clint frowned at her, getting up from the sofa.

“Sit down. I’m fine.” She remembered that she was with her team. Her team she trusted. She sighed. “Does everyone know about Coulson?”

Clint nodded. Everyone else blinked.

“Being our guy-we-trust? Has a team?”

Bruce summed up his, Tony and Thor’s thoughts with: “He’s alive?”

As James said: “Who’s Coulson?”

“Our former handler.” Clint said. “Loki killed him in the Battle of New York.”

“Then how?”

“Apparently,” Tony stared at Natasha, “He got better.”

“Fury.”

That was the only explanation anyone needed.

Bruce lent back against the sofa. Tony slumped. “I kind of miss him.”

“Hm, at least we knew he wasn’t completely evil.” Bruce remembered ‘overhearing’ a call to Ross.

“Wish I could have met him.” James said.

“It does not do to dwell on matters of the past when they do not concern the present.” Thor stood up. “I think we could do with talking to the Son of Coul.”

Natasha looked around at everyone. At Tony, clearly still on edge, but trying to trust that there was a solution. At Clint, who wasn’t sure if he’d been betrayed by the last person he trusted, or handed salvation. At James: studied curiosity and nerves. Thor: unrested and uneasy. And at Bruce, who just seemed resigned.

She tapped out a short message on her phone, then put it back in her pocket.

“Yes, yes perhaps we should.”

She stared out the window for a moment, taking in the dimming light levels and the shadows of Central Park.

Where they still out there, or had ‘SHIELD’ already found them?

*****

“SHIT!” Steve swore as his leg immediately cramped having dropped down out his tree. “OW!”

Loki smirked, suffering no ill effects from the prolonged period of stillness.

Steve rolled his eyes. “’s alright for you. I’m human.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Steve sighed and shook out his leg until it was merely experiencing a bad case of pins and needles rather than sending stabbing pains up to his brain. “Okay, okay, let’s go.”

Loki nodded. Then held out his hand and checked the path nearest to them. The park should have been practically clear at this point, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, especially with their raised profile.

All was quiet.

It remained so even as they got to the park edge and got over the wall. There was no point exposing themselves to more cameras then they had to.

Loki hit the pavement practically silently. “Which way?”

Steve tried to remember. Then he pointed. “This one, I don’t think it’s far.”

It wasn’t, especially given he’d chosen the direction at random. A few blocks and then they were staring at a Car Rental place, conveniently closed for the night.

“Remind me why we’re here again and didn’t just get one off the street?”

“Because the insurance will cover it here, they can afford to lose one, and they might not notice for a couple of days. And it’s not like we’re in a hurry.” Steve said, before walking over to a charming car in a classic style, and a yellow colour.

“Subtle.” Loki said, walking over to a more modestly priced black midsized vehicle, with tinted windows.

“Stylish.” Steve said.

“Not the point.” Loki tossed his hair over the collar of his leather coat.

They shared a smile, then Steve came over. “How’s the gas?”

“Um?”

Twenty minutes later Steve had successfully ‘borrowed’ the car, and some extra gas and the two of them were sitting in a traffic jam on their way to the south end of the State of New York.

Loki was grumbling in the back seat. “Couldn’t we have taken a quicker route out of the city?”

“Look, only two people drive in New York, cabbies and assholes. The traffic’s going to be awful everywhere.”

He sighed. “I know they can’t see me, but you’re hardly anonymous.”

“Well the car can’t drive itself, and you’re blue.”

“I know.” Loki frowned. “Just because it’s necessary does not mean that I cannot point out the obvious flaws in the current plan.”

“You came up with it.”

“Call it self criticism.”

Steve smiled, as he moved the car forward, only to stop at another set of traffic lights. “It might have been quicker to take the subway.”

“But then we wouldn’t have had such a lovely view,” Loki looked down the alleyway they were parallel to, leaning back against the headrest. While he more than appreciated the need for subterfuge, it was a shame that the method of escape couldn’t have been faster, or less frumpy. The lack of control sat uneasy in his stomach.

Even studying the alley seemed worthwhile. There might be danger. There might be sparks.

There were sparks. Literal sparks coming out of one of the metal bins. No, not out of, behind. Loki judged how likely the traffic was to move.

He jumped out of the car and dashed down the alley.

There, curled up behind the alleyway was a human looking kid so scrunched up on themselves that all Loki could see was their short brown hair, and the white hot sparks that hit him in the face.

“I’m-“ supposed to be the expert at this. He frowned, the silence only broken by puffing noises, and the seemingly distant honking of cars. “Can you breathe? In and out. In and out.”

The puffing slowed slightly.

Loki took a step closer, ignoring the spark that hit him in the face. “Can you talk?”

“Yes.” The figure said quietly. “Thank-you.”

“Are you going to be alright? I know magic can be hard to control.”

“It’s chaos.” The kid loosened their grip on their knees, unmuffling their voice even as they stayed looking at the floor. “I hate it.”

It was like a hit to his chest. The words were on his tongue- ‘I’ll take it off you’. It wouldn’t have worked. He knew that.

The kid looked up and met Loki’s eyes. “Sorry.” They looked surprisingly unperturbed by his appearance.

A light spark just missed Loki as he thought for a moment. He was supposed to be better at this. “Do you have somewhere to go?” He asked eventually despite everything that was screaming that he did not want to be saddled with a kid. It’d be nice to have _someone_ who could do magic, he reasoned.

“My parents are-“ there was the briefest of pauses “normal, but they love me.”

A horn sounded, jarring the scene. “Well good luck kid.” Loki said what he thought Steve might have before decking it out to the waiting car, slamming the door shut after him.

Steve merged back into the traffic and carried on without asking any questions.

More alleys went past.

So did more normal streets.

“Worth it?”

“Kid with out of control magic.” Loki said, listening more for the sounds of alarm behind them than Steve’s response.

“They gonna be okay?”

“Said their parents were good.”  

He nodded. And simply drove on without commentating.

Loki went back to watching the streets out of the window. They pulled onto a larger road, consistently going south. “I can’t hear anything.”

“Probably just assumed you were inhuman. There’s a lot of them in New York.” Steve said as the car speeded up to what seemed like finally a decent speed.

“Hmm,” He said noncommittedly.

“The world’s changed so fast.” Steve only had one hand on the wheel, instead staring out onto the road in front of him. He couldn’t have told you the colour of the car he was behind.

“Hmm,”

“No, I mean it’s worse for me, I know that. I remember the invention of sliced bread. I remember the depression, the first one that is. But I skipped everything else in the middle. You know inflation wasn’t really a thing when I was young, it was by the time I went under, the banks had seen to that much. But I’d only ever seen a computer twice, and both times were thanks to Howard. I missed practically the whole of the TV age. People were already watching more recordings than live TV when I woke up. Which was only a couple of weeks before you made your whole grand entrance. And even then, you were the strangest thing this world had ever seen. Now…” Steve shrugged.

Loki blinked. “Sorry, didn’t follow any of that.”

Steve sighed, refocussing on the road. “Wouldn’t have expected you to.”

Loki looked down at his very blue hand, then at the back of Steve Roger’s head, then out of the window. “I know how much things can change.” Unbidden his mind went back to Asgard, back to Thor, and his mother. He looked down again. “Not always for the better.”

Steve half swivelled round to look at Loki. “Not always for the worse either.”

“Naturally,” he put on a smirk. “Otherwise I’d have said never for the better.” Steve turned back around and Loki let the smirk drop revealing a very slight, but genuine, smile.

Steve pretended not to see, and instead focused on the road. They had a long drive ahead of them, wherever they ended up.

*****

Dust had long since fallen when Steve pulled the car onto the smaller roads into what looked to be a really tiny town. He parked in a small parking lot by the church.

“Where are we?” Loki asked from the backseat.

“I have no idea.”

“Why’d we stop?”

“Cause I have no idea and while the two of us are more than capable of going a couple of days without sleep, food and water seemed like a good idea. We’ve still got a bit of cash from the busking.”

“Sure,” Loki sighed and got out the car.

“See you back here in twenty?”

Loki rolled his eyes.

“You’ve got a perfectly good internal clock.” Steve said, slamming the car door shut and wondering in the direction of the lit up store window.

Loki turned back towards the stone building. It looked like it was trying to be older than it was. Uninterested, he turned away towards the centre of the village.

Twenty minutes huh? That should be enough time to see what he was really dealing with here. He started down a street in the opposite direction to the one Steve had disappeared down. 

He had barely made it halfway down when a hand shot out and dragged him against the wall.

The silver headed figure scowled. “Now listen here you moron, I don’t know if you’re fresh out the academy to Terra but around here, blue is suspicious. Now-“ He let Loki drop, looking at his hand and frowning slightly. “I’d say ‘ow’ but I’m me.” His hand looked perfectly normal to Loki, apparently so to the kid as well, who dropped it and refocused on him. “What are you?”

“A wonderer, at the moment.”

“Well, wonderer at the moment, this may not be my planet, but I’ll be dammed if I let it come to any harm because of the likes of you.”

Loki smirked, feeling the knife in his wrist holster, ready to flip out. “Since when was New York from a different planet?”

He was shoved against the side of the building again for his pains.

“Relax, we’re literally stopping to get food. And my com— friend fits in better than I.”

“He better.  Just don’t expect any help when you get in trouble.”

Loki let himself breathe, then forced a cocky grin. “We never do.”

The guy replied in kind. “I’d say see’ya, but I won’t.” and with that he was gone, silver hair and pale skin making almost as much of a lasting impression as his sheer obnoxiousness.

“Not Midgardian, but not superspeed. Alien, not Asgardian,” Loki said out loud before realising that he was talking to thin air. He sighed. There was no way his twenty minutes was up, and the twat wasn’t quite fast enough to be out of sight.

He picked up a jog.

Not Midgardian, not Asgardian, so what was he and did he have a ship? Loki turned a corner after him. After all, as he said, blue was rather conspicuous.

*****

Eighteen minutes later Steve Rogers was sitting in the car tapping at the steering wheel.

Five minutes after that he got up out of the car and contemplated which street Loki might have taken. Given he hadn’t seen him at any point it didn’t seem likely that Loki had followed him, but that still left three possibilities, including the church.

Probably not the last one.

So which one? Steve looked at them both. Oh well, ipp, dip, doo, the cat’s got the flu, the –

 Loki came running out of the other street at full tilt. “NEVER MIND THAT IDEA”

Getting back into the car and driving away was the better part of acting now and asking questions later. Which was a lot more fun for one of them than the other.

*****

 “Well this ought to be slightly more restful.” Steve said as they drew into the parking lot of a motel.

“Ought to be? Given by the state of this place-“

“They haven’t seen a concerned citizen in years?”

“Don’t you count?” Loki almost jumped out the car with the excuse to stretch his legs. “How’s the money?”

“Enough for a night.” Steve stayed sat at the wheel even as he rolled his shoulders in the limited space.

“And after that?”

If Steve replied then it was too quiet for Loki to hear. He guessed that left after tonight to be his responsibility. He’d rather face the allfather again than let this go to Hell due to an over attack of morals. If they were sticking together, they were sticking together.

“Listen,” Steve said, getting out of the car. “You’d better go in and get the twin room.”

Loki frowned, held out his blue hand, then gestured to Steve’s normality.

“I didn’t want to say anything ‘cause it was fine, but they recognised me last time.”

It was impossible for cold to freeze Loki in this form. Shock, however, would do it just nicely. “Do you really think I will be less noticeable?”

“Yes.” Steve sighed. “Inhumans’ll hardly be unusual in this sort of place.”

He mulled it over for a moment then held out his hand. “What they don’t know…” Steve put the bag into his open palm. “Thanks.” Loki paused for a moment. “Do you want to go over the story.

 “You’re the Liesmith.”

“Fair!” Loki grinned despite himself. He sighed, glancing at his hand once more. “Alright, I’ll do it.” He smiled, empty and barely revealing heavy nerves.

Steve stared at him for a moment. “I forget how good an actor you are.”

Instead of saying anything Loki chose to wink before walking away with the money and into the reception of the motel.

It was… small, run down, but cleanish, with an abandoned desk. He walked up to it, and after a moment’s hesitation, dinged the bell.

“BE A MO.” Someone yelled in the distance.

“I’d take a seat if I were you.” Someone else appeared down a set of stairs. “She’s always ages.”

“Ah,” Loki kept up the appearance of hidden nerves and found the chairs against the wall. “Thanks-“

“Kate,” The young woman said pulling her long brown hair up into a ponytail. “’scuse me, I’ve gotta go. Competition.” She gestured to the pack on her back. “See ‘ya around-“

“Lo- “ caught off guard for once Loki wasn’t sure what name to say. It didn’t seem to matter.

“Like that huh,” She shrugged, perfectly kind. “See ya around Lo, she won’t mind-“ there was a general non-verbal impression of  blueness. Which was, Loki considered, a not unimpressive ability.

A few minutes later and Loki had procured a twin room for himself and Steve for the night, without a fight, being recognised or panicking.

Not that the room itself was anything to be proud of, but as Steve said upon seeing it: “It’ll do.”

“This bed is really uncomfortable,” Loki said curled up on it, seemingly half asleep.

Steve threw himself down on the other one. “I’d forgotten what a bed felt like.”

“No you hadn’t.”

“Shut-up!” Loki rolled over and glared at his friend, then rolled back and looked at the ceiling. “There are a lot of cracks in this place.”

“Huh, yeah.” There was a beat. “I wouldn’t have noticed.”

Loki counted the number of cracks. Then he said: “We have to move on tomorrow don’t we?”

“Depends on if they’re looking for us or not.” Steve said. They both knew the answer to that. “Technically they’re just looking for…”

“Don’t finish that.”

“Alright.” Steve picked at his nails. “Where do you want to go after this?”

“I really don’t know.”

“Oh, right.” He considered. “I haven’t seen much more of the world you know. Not in peace anyhow.”

“So we keep driving?”

“Sure.” Steve sat up and walked over to the window, peeling back the curtain. “Get some sleep, I’ll take first watch.”

“You sure?” Loki frowned? “I’ve been able to nap in the car.”

“I’m good.” Steve’s voice broke no arguments.

Loki was woken up four hours later and took his place by the windowsill. All was quiet for another seven hours.

Then he saw a man in a familiar dark uniform arguing loudly with Kate. Another figure pushed past them.

Loki drew back and threw the nearest thing to hand, his own jacket, at Steve. “We’re found.”

He woke up with a start, rolling out of bed and pulling the jacket on automatically before frowning at it and tossing it back to Loki. They crouched underneath the windows. “How many?”

Loki checked. “Four.”

The two of them glanced at each other. “Shouldn’t be a problem right?”

Loki twirled a knife before stowing it back in his coat. “No killing right?”

“Three, Two, One!” They stood up, Loki opening the door and following Steve out immediately.

It didn’t take long.

Steve rushed at the first guy, slamming his fist into his chest shoving him to the ground.

Loki got the next two with a couple of well-timed throws. As he squatted to retrieve his knives Steve jumped over his head, and straight into the final thug. Who promptly went down like a stone.

Which just left Kate.

Loki stood up, the knives twitching in his hands. Steve stood at his shoulder. They looked at her.

She took a step back and raised her hands to her shoulders, as if instinctively looking for something on her back. Then she forced her hands up slightly and nodded. “Sorry, I tried to talk them out of it.”

“’S alright miss.” Steve said stepping forwards towards her, while still stopping a good foot and a half away. “Thank-you for trying.”

Loki watched from his distance. He could get there quick enough if he was needed.

Steve turned to go when Kate interrupted him: “If you don’t mind me asking: actually dead or faking it?”

“I let SHIELD think I was dead.” Steve said carefully. “That included everyone who might tell SHIELD, which was everyone.”

Another nod. “Why?”

“Who am I always fighting against?” Steve said before turning his back to her and walking straight past Loki towards ‘their’ car, throwing over his shoulder: “Thanks once again.”

Loki nodded at Kate before getting into the passenger side.

Steve drove off without consultation. Loki just sighed and lent back in his seat, before closing his eyes and trying to nap.

“It reclines.”

“Huh?” He leant over and fiddled with the controls of his chair. Sure enough, it titled backwards. Not preferable to sleep at, but he’d slept on worse, Loki considered.

By the time he awoke daylight was streaming in through the windscreen.

“You feeling any better?”

Loki blinked. “I should learn how to drive.”

“Oh, okay,” Steve said, turning his head back to the road. “We should probably start on that on a quieter road.”

“I severely doubt it’s that difficult.” Loki raised his brows, then he smiled. “But no, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Cheers.”

“You are quite welcome.” Steve grinned like the little shit he was.

Loki didn’t. “So, any idea where we’re going yet?”

“To teach you to drive or?”

“I meant in general. And I hardly think it will involve much teaching. I can fly over two hundred different spaceships.”

“Well, there’s a turn coming up, and we’re gonna need more gas soon.”

“So soon?” Loki sighed. “Midgard is so primitive.”

“Alright then, shall we get started?” Steve turned the car right.

*****

To Loki’s untrained eye this town looked identical to the last one they stopped at, minus the pushy alien. To Steve’s eye, it still looked practically identical.

They drove through and out into some of the smaller lanes between some fields. Steve stopped the car, and they changed places.

Ten minutes later Steve was swearing to every deity he knew of, including Thor, that he’d never let Loki near the wheel again.

“There’s no need to drag my brother into this!” Loki leant back. “I think this is going rather well.”

“You’re run over three hedges, two ditches and into a tree!”

“Is that not what you’re supposed to do?”  Loki grinned before pulling out and driving perfectly down the road.

Steve swore. “Did you already know how to drive?”

“No, I can just pilot two hundred types of spaceship, and this really isn’t this complicated.” Loki said, “I did say…”

“Yeah, yeah, alien genius.” Steve rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t have figured it out without the whole-?”

“What would have been the fun in that?”

“Why are we friends?”

Loki glanced over sharply only to see the complete lack of any sincerity in the comment.

“Hey,” Steve put his hand on Loki’s arm, then winced, before moving it up to his covered shoulder. “We’re friends, I’m not going anywhere and I trust you’re not either.”

For a moment it seemed like Loki was deciding whether or not to lean into the hand or shrug it off. Then he nodded. “Thank-you.”

“You’re welcome. Who knows? Give it twenty years and we might be back in New York.”

He sighed. “We spent all that effort to get our warehouse back, and here we are…”

“True.”

“Still, worth it for the revenge alone.”

The super ex-soldier and the ex-supervillain shared an understanding smile. Then Loki turned the car around with an unsurprisingly good three point turn and headed back towards the town.

“So gas, how are we going to get that?”

Steve considered it for a moment. “I think we need some cash.”

“A bigger town it is then.”

Half a day later and flush with the cash from what appeared to be an extremely obnoxious businessman and with Loki newly acquainted with Steve’s pickpocketing skills, they were driving with a newly filled tank.

Steve, slightly bemused to find himself in the passenger seat again was flipping through the tourist pamphlets he’d picked up. “There’s a big ball of twine near here.”

“Is that more interesting than it sounds?”

“It’s presumably more popular than it sounds.” He rebuked.

“That’s no indication of quality.”

“Don’t I know it,” Steve said “Other than that, how about a National Park?”

“Any like the central?”

“Prettier. Also bigger.”

“Sounds good.”

A day or so later Steve and Loki pulled into a large car park and climbed out to the hastily aborted stares of the other people. It was a while since either of them hadn’t shrunk from the stares, but on this occasion Loki couldn’t bring himself to care.

Walking wasn’t normally either of their ideas of fun, but after the past week or so the time out of the car was more than welcome. The comfort of the abundance of trees hiding them from general view was an additional bonus, even if they had

Steve plonked himself down onto the grass. “Going to join me?”

The grass was a lot less comfortable than it looked. It was also slightly damp. Loki laughed. “This reminds me of-“ he broke off. “You’re right,”

“Huh?”

“This is prettier than the Central. More real.”

“I was guessing, I’ve never seen this.”

“Shame.” Loki hummed, letting the conversation fade out as they sat there looking at the view, utterly absorbed in the lack of anyone else, or the need to hide.

The footsteps behind them didn’t bother them.

The stun shots on the other hand, well if they were conscious, they might have been annoyed about those.

*****

“Ughhhhhhh,” Steve pressed his hand to his head groggily falling off the cot.

He jolted awake.

The room was plain, no windows, no furniture apart from the cot. The door had no handle.

Dammit. A cell. Steve stood up and listened.

It was wither soundproof or else deserted.

Either way, Steve stretched, then walked as far from the door as he could within the confines of the cell. His shoulder angled straight at it, he paused, then braced.

He ran straight at it.

He bounced.

“OW!”

Okay, captured by someone who knew what they were doing. He supposed he should have got that from the tranquilisers that worked on his system.

Think.

Steve steadied himself then knocked on the door. “Excuse me, I would like to speak to whoever’s in charge.”

Then he sat back down on the cot and thought. If they’d got him they’d got Loki. The two of them had been together at the time, and unless it was a really unusual group anyone who’d want one of them would bother to capture the other one if they were there.

But who got them?

SHIELD was the obvious one. This cell was unlike the ones he remembered in New York, but there was no reason for them not to have different types.

It could be the Avengers. It would have been very quick, assuming that someone in the car park had recognised them and posted about it. Shield could have mobilised from a local office, but as far as he knew the Avengers had been in New York.

But then the last time he’d checked that he’d been in New York.

Hydra was of course more than plausible. The most questionable thing about that theory was that he was in a clean cell, not a lab or torture chamber right now.

Or it could just be a small group or one person. If they had the brains and the luck, who knew?

Until someone came to speak to him, he’d just have to work out situations for each case.

*****

As it turned out, more than one option was possible.  

*****

The cell door opened.

An Asian woman dressed in a black jumpsuit walked in and stared right at him.

Steve wondered if she was going to kill him. She certainly seemed capable of it, although she was taking a long time to do so if she was.

“Nice disguise.” She said.

Steve blinked.

“Ma’am,” he eventually settled on. “Why am I here?”

“Because you owe Coulson a favour.”

He considered this for a moment. “I suppose he didn’t tell the rest of SHIELD about the brake in.” He’d barely known the man, but… Natasha and Clint had trusted him, Tony had declared him good people.

Did their opinions even matter to him anymore?

Apparently yes as Steve found himself nodding, standing up and offering his hand. “Steve Rogers.”

“May.” She shook his hand with enough pressure for Steve to feel it. “Follow me.”

Steve stepped out into the corridor, which wasn’t a lot more decorated than his cell. “Where’s Loki?”

“We’ve got a special cell to contain magic.”

He nodded again, not pointing out that that was entirely unnecessary. Somehow Steve got the impression that Loki would distinctly not appreciate that. “Would it be possible to see him?”

“You’re actually friends huh?” A shorter Asian woman met them in the corridor.

Steve thought for a moment, “You’re the hacker.”

“Johnson.” She smiled. “Yes. And just to clarify, Coulson was only there for the codes, I am more than capable of shooting in the face anyone who tries to fuck with me.”

“Violent.”

“I’ve seen your service record. Your real one.”

“You have a point.” Steve smiled. “And yes, we’re actually friends.”

“So how does that work? Has he got less murderey and you’ve got more murderey or-“

They reached the end of the corridor coming out into a very small lounge.

“Captain Rogers.” Coulson stood at the end, his hand resting just a slight bit too rigidly to be natural.

“I’m hardly a Captain anymore.” Steve said extending his hand. “But I’ll give you I’m no Mr Rogers either these days.” They shook hands. “What’s this I hear about you needing a favour?”

“Please, sit.” Coulson sat down on one of the sofas. It didn’t escape Steve’s notice that neither May nor Johnson moved from flanking him.

Steve sat down.

“SHIELD keeps a list, of all the people who are potential dangers. With the rise in the inhuman population this list got a lot longer and not all of them were adults.”

Steve could feel himself tensing up.

“With that in mind we often keep people off SHIELD’s list.” Coulson said. “There’s a few of us nominally within SHIELD that I trust, and we have our own list of people that may need our protection.”

“One of them’s been taken.” Steve guessed.

“Young boy named Tommy. We think they tried to get his twin too, but couldn’t.”

“Why me and Loki?”

Coulson’s eyes flicked towards May’s before she said: “Because SHIELD’s got him.”

“And you’re not willing to act against them.”

“We’re not willing to sacrifice our ability to help lots of people to go after one kid.” Johnson said. “Not when there are other options.”

“Okay,” Steve didn’t exactly relax as step down to amber alert. “How old’s the kid, where is he, and what kind of powers are we talking about here?”

“He’s-“

“Wait.” Steve interrupted. “If I do this, we do this. Loki needs to hear this information too.”

Coulson didn’t say anything for a moment.

Then Johnson said: “Apparently, they’re really friends.”

There was another moment of silence. Then Coulson smiled slightly. “Does he know?”

“No.” Steve said, “I haven’t told him you’re alive. But I’m not sure he’ll remember killing you. He’s not exactly nice. But I’m not feeling like a very nice person these days.” Steve leant forward. “And as I told your associate, he’s my friend.”

It took Coulson a moment before he nodded. May and Johnson left.

Five minutes later Loki appeared in heavy shackles but not muzzled. He stared at Coulson for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “Didn’t I-“

“I got better.”

Loki considered this for a moment then nodded, before sitting next to Steve his back ramrod straight. Steve straightened his. “It was a good shot.” Loki said.

“Thanks.” Coulson hid any emotions he might have had about the event.

“I owe Coulson a favour, and SHIELD proper has taken an inhuman boy who they can’t rescue without giving themselves away.” Steve summarised.

“So of course you’d said we’d help.” Loki sighed. “Where is he and what can he do?”

Steve smiled, and tried to convey his thanks without words.

Loki shrugged.

“He has enhanced speed.” Coulson said simply. “He also may not be inhuman, we can’t verify parentage or a terragenisis time for either him or his brother.”

“Should that matter?”

“Only if a different planet decides to interfere.”

“At least you didn’t say any aliens.” Loki remarked.

Steve shot him a look.

Loki grinned, wide and fake. Then he grew solemn. “You didn’t answer where this boy was?”

“SHIELD facility outside Baltimore. We can get you to the entrance, and meet you at a rendezvous point, but apart from that you’re on your own.”

“What about Specs?” Steve asked,

“Nothing specific. But they should be enough to give you a head start.”

Steve and Loki looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. “Okay then, let’s get started.”

*****

It felt wrong to not wait for darkness.

Using the roof as an entrance having dropped from a plane with no parachute and a friend by his side that, on the other hand, couldn’t have felt more familiar.

Steve pulled the door open, and jumped in.

“Here we go again,” Loki said, jumping down behind him.

“Here we go.”

The corridor was nearly identical to two dozen that Steve had seen before. There were no identifying marks. There were no unique features. Apart from the hole in the roof there was nothing to suggest where it was in the building, or where the building was.

They were reliant solely on luck and memory for directions.

Down the corridors they crept. Down the stairs, and along, and- “Is there any reason we’re creeping?” Loki asked relaxing.

“Huh?” Steve mirrored him. “Point.”

They jogged down the next few corridors before encountering their first agent.

“HALT! INTRUDER!” They yelled before whipping out their gun and aiming it at them. “STOP RIGHT TH-“

That was as far as they got before Steve knocked them unconscious, before taking the gun. “Icer.”

“Useful,” Loki caught up, “What’s the charge?”

“Mostly full. Should do us for this lot.” Steve said before tossing Loki the gun.

He checked the trigger. Then walked up to the corner. “Ready?”

“What makes you think there’s going to be anyone there?”

“Call it instinct.” Loki said before raising an eyebrow, “Or the fact it is far too quiet.”

“Well then,” Steve walked straight around the corner to the blockade of SHIELD agents facing him. “Before we get started, does anyone want to surrender?”

That seemed to be the cue for everyone to start shooting, Loki included. The frost giant pressed himself against the corner, hitting agent after agent as Steve sent many of them against the wall or floor.

“Watch out,” Steve said, slightly out of breath as he dogged five shots in quick succession.

Loki flipped a knife and stabbed the agent charging at him.

“Really?” Steve straightened up looking at the carnage.

“She’ll recover.”

“It was the hair flip I was questioning.”

Loki smoothed down said hair, raising his eyebrow.

Steve rolled his eyes, then smiled.

A few more corridors, a few more fights, and they threw open a door and got the occupant to stand still: “Tommy?”

Two weeks later it was a human child in Florida, only two days later it was a bewildered man who’d just wanted to go to Disneyworld. There was an ex-pilot in DC, a dancer, a lifeguard, a temp, someone who’d never been employed and children who were yet to be expected to be.

There was Orlando,

Jacksonville,

Mobile,

New Orleans,

Houston,

Joshua Tree National Park,

 San Francisco,

The ocean,

The forest,

The plains.

People, so many people.

There was SHIELD, HYDRA, AIM, but never any Avengers.

Humans, Inhumans, the odd Alien.

They found themselves fighting in bars, drinking in alleys, sleeping in trees and singing in the carparks of motels.

They saw the lakes, and balls of twine, and small diners that had a certain shine.

And they saved people, intentionally, unintentionally. They did it over and over again until it wasn’t just a pattern, it was expected and anticipated.

Until one day they woke up just outside Salem and Steve asked: “Do you want to go back to New York?”

So they headed east, with more direction than they’d had since dealing with Hammer. Until one day they were standing in a town called Gary looking at the news being played on TVs for sale in a shop window.

The news showing a truly enormous spaceship covering New York.

An enormous, and familiar ship.

Not that he’d ever seen it from the outside.

Loki sunk down against the wall, his back to the screens.

He was here. He was here and Loki was here. Not even a whole country away. He was too close. HE couldn’t-

He’d needed to be off planet,

He hoped he’d have been dead by this time.

He couldn’t go back.

He wouldn’t

He wouldn’t be looking for him, Loki tried to ration with himself, not straight away. There were bigger prizes at play. What was Loki to an Infinity stone? Let alone the gauntlet.

But when that gauntlet was done?

Maybe he’d be an ant. Maybe Loki could run off, grab Steve and they’d find somewhere, anywhere, where they’d be safe and Thor-

There’d been a figure with a red cape flying in that footage. His eyes had taken in what his mind could not.

Thor was there, Thor was going to get killed.

Everyone in New York was going to get killed. Who was he kidding? Everyone on this horrible insignificant little planet where he’d been forced into living was going to get killed including himself! And Thor. And Steve, and Kate, and Tommy, and the pilot, the dancer, and the kid with chaos magic, and Coulson and especially the stupid self-righteous Avengers.

Everyone was going to die.

He was going to die. He was here, and he was going to die. He was here. He was here and there was nothing he could do! Half a country! If Loki had had his magic, or Heimdall’s blessing, or a ship, or anything!

There was nothing! There was-

There was a hand on his shoulder.

“Loki? I am gonna lift you, okay?”

He found himself being lifted off the ground and carried along by someone moving at a fast run. The someone, Loki quickly realised was Steve. Who was following a figure in a black jumpsuit.

“I can walk.”

“No time,” Steve panted as he ran up a ramp before putting Loki down as the ramp itself began to reseal.

He looked around, noting the red car. “Coulson?”

“Spotted you and on their way apparently.” Steve said. “You don’t have to come back to New York. There’s a ship leaving with their non-combatants. But I- I had to go back. I have to help.-“

“Steve”

“I know I’m not an Avenger anymore, I know I’m definitely not Captain America. But there are people in trouble and – I have to help.”

“Steve,” Loki took a deep breathe in. “I know.”

“Oh,” Steve breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank-you.”

“I’m not- I’m not leaving. I can’t- I- Thor.” He settled on. “He’s going to get killed, and dammit he’s not getting killed without me.”

“Oh,”

Loki glanced around the cargo area, and was glad to notice that they were alone. He might have a day left to live, but that didn’t mean that it had to be awkward.

“Well in that case,” Steve said. “Shall we go see what the armour and weapons are? I’d rather not fight in-“ He looked down at his civilian clothes.

“I need more knives. I lost my best one last week.”

Forcing a smile Steve clapped him on the shoulder. “Who knows, they might even have a gun.”

*****

“What do you mean you don’t have your magic?” The young non-combatant said passing a long knife to Loki.

He twirled it appreciatively tucking it into one of his new holsters pretending to ignore everyone else’s stares. “Well, we’re going into battle together aren’t we? It seemed reasonable you should get all the information.” He glanced at Steve who seemed to be debating whether or not to take a gun, then he turned to Coulson, “I don’t suppose you’ve still got that gun you shot me with have you? It’d be like a fly against Odin on Than- the Mad Titan, but it’d take anyone he brought with him down.” 

“Will?” Coulson said, holstering several, almost certainly useless, guns.

“Might.”

“Better than anything else.” He considered and walked out.

“No, not for me,” Steve said, putting down the gun down.

“You’ll get killed.”

“Won’t I do that anyway?”

Loki sighed. Then acknowledged his point. “I don’t like to think of us going in without as much of an advantage as we can.”

“I’m still stuck on the whole no magic thing.” Miscellaneous SHIELD Agent #3 said.

“Asgard’s punishment.”

“Is that why the blue-“

“Birth form. Yes, I’m a horrible monster, I thought Midgard new that already.” Loki snarled grabbing a pistol and storming out of the room, jamming into a holster.

Steve watched the door shut.

Then he picked up a couple of rounds of ammunition and paused in front of the SHIELD agent “There’s a long history. Sorry, I’d better go after him.”

He wasn’t far away.

“Loki,” Steve rushed up to him, grabbing his shoulder then backing away. “Are you alright?”

It took him a moment, but Loki raised his head, gave a sarcastic eyebrow raise and said: “As well as you are my dear Captain.”

“I’m not-“ What was the point. “Do you think anyone’s still alive?”

“Not for long.”

“We’ll—“ Steve didn’t see any point in lying. “It’ll be worth it.”

Loki nodded. “We rose, we fell, we’re still fighting.”

They clapped hands.

Steve’s burn healed almost instantaneously.

Coulson’s voice sounded over the speakers. “Everyone to the ramp. We’re nearly at the drop zone.”

The two of them looked at each other, with their borrowed SHIELD uniforms patches ripped off and all.

“That’s our cue.” Loki said, gently touching each of his weapons.

“Right then.”

“Right.”

*****

Nine people stood at the edge of the ramp. Six humans, two inhumans and one Jotun-Asgardian exile.

The ramp began to lower, the air rushing in as the buildings left past.

An air-conditioning unit fell in.

The ramp was flat. So was the city.

“That’s a lot of -- things.”

“Which we’ll deal with. We’re SHIELD we take care of the civilians.” Coulson primed the gun. “You two?”

“Th— Thanos.” Loki said. He wasn’t going back.

“Thanos.” Steve repeated.

And with that, they jumped.

*****

The soil might as well have been tarmac at the speed they hit it, but regardless of protests of their knees, the two of them stood up.  
They jumped over the upturned trees, ran round what was left of the pavement, and had no time for fallen bodies.

There was a slow chuckle as they rounded the corner into a mudpile.

Thanos, The Mad Titan, immortal, invulnerable celestial, was standing there holding Thor up by the neck. The asguardian’s feet were frantically waving mid-air, as if trying to kick the titan. The titan who was out of reach.

Loki stopped dead in his tracks.

Thanos, unseeing or uncaring, gave a roar and threw the ragdoll of Thor into a building. There was a groan and rubble began to fall. Rocks landed on Thor’s prone body.

He didn’t move.

Thor lay there still, on top of the other bodies.

Loki scanned desperately for the Green Giant, for the Spider, for anyone that wasn’t there. They was no-one. He didn’t know them all, but there were so many bodies. Some of them might not have been dead yet, he tried to ration with himself as he finally stepped forward only to step on a red, broken, horn.

There was no-one he couldn’t see.

Steve was picking his way through the bodies, staying low to the ground. Then his boots hit a metal arm.

Thanos examined the gauntlet on his sleeve. It was incomplete, but for how long? “So this is what become of the mighty Midgard. For all the tales of progress and development. They have great heroes and great protectors I was told. Look at them now. You have no heroes left.”

“Well, there’s one left.” Steven Grant Rogers said picking up a scratched, circular blue white shield and hefting in onto his arm. “And you might say I’m the original”

He threw his shield straight at the Titan.

“And I’m his asshole friend,” Loki threw the first of his knives at the same time diving in near Thanos’s feet. He pulled out another pair of daggers and began to slash.

He’d made one cut in the dense, heavy skin before he was picked up and held up to Thanos’s neck. “The Jotun are as pathetic as ever. Good to know.” And with that Loki found himself flying backwards.

Steve skid through Thanos’s legs, desperately trying to get out of his sight, just for a moment. For any advantage.

He swivelled.

There!

There was a thin cut along Thanos’s back. Steve threw his shield at it.

Thanos turned around.

Loki hit Thanos from behind. The knife stuck directly in the crack. He threw another before the Titan turned, and called all of the weapons towards him, not even bothering to drop Steve.

They clattered uselessly to the ground. Steve and Loki soon followed.

Steve’s back barely had skin on, Loki had a spike through his side.

Still they got up.

The distance towards Thanos seemed so great.

No-one else was there. No-one else could stop this. No-one else on Earth-

Loki half collapsed as another spike was sent through his other side.

This wasn’t going to work, this wasn’t going to-

Steve’s limp body was thrown past Loki landing squarely on a rock and then bouncing onto the ground.

Loki watched for a moment, desperately hoping to see his chest rise and fall. Desperately hoping for some sort of sign.

It didn’t matter. He walked forward, slowly towards the Titan who was walking away. He could do it, he could make it. One more attack. One more attempt. If only he had his—

An arrow flew past his vision and his head whirled expecting to see Hawkeye making a final stand not a young girl.

She’d die anyway.

Loki continued to struggle forward as a white haired blur speeded past him, as the scent of magic filled the air, as someone who could not possibly be the Hulk threw themselves at Thanos, as a young woman managed to kick Thanos straight off the ground only to be thrown away herself.

A ship appeared in the sky shooting directly at Thanos as Loki managed to stagger forward some more. He really had been wrong. Too young as they were, Midgard did have more heroes.

Thanos plucked the ship out of the sky causing the silver haired alien to fall to the ground.

Loki made it closer, picking up a knife from earlier. It wasn’t his.

Thanos picked up the child with the chaos magic, and tossed them on the ground, batting away the speedster as he did so. They weren’t doing anything, nothing was doing anything.

They were all going to die.

Loki threw one knife then the other.

Then realised he only had one knife. Despite the fact there were two sticking out of Thanos’s back.

Loki looked down at his hands. His pink hands.

One last stand. One last stand. He felt himself slipping into a delirious grin as he pulled out the spikes stuck in his sides healing himself as well as he could before throwing them towards Thanos, heating one and cooling the other.

They struck true, but even as he turned Loki could see the wounds fading.

“So, you want to play do you?” The smile was terrifying. “Here I was thinking you didn’t remember me. I certainly barely remember you. Pathetic, weak, irrelevant frost giant, but easy broken and might once have been useful.”

“Big words coming from someone who was so convinced of their own power they only came themselves when they ran out of minions.” Loki searched desperately for a weakness.

And hoped desperately that his own wasn’t so obvious as he felt himself being lifted up by his neck. No matter how much he struggled. No matter how much magic he poured in. He couldn’t he just couldn’t he-

Loki felt himself dropping and had just enough sense to work out where Thor was before-

Was that a spaceship? A really tacky spaceship.

“Hi Dad!”

Who--?

*****

Steve woke up in a bed. A nice bed too by the feel of it. He shot up only to be stared at by a face he never thought he’d see again.

“Steve,”

“Bucky”

Then Steve was swept into a tight hug, metal arm and sore ribs and all.

“I thought you were dead.” They said simultaneously.

“Ow,” Steve eventually broke the hug. “What happened? Did we win?”

“I was going to ask you that. There was that alien, and then I thought I was dead, and then I woke up, and you were here.”

“Thanos.” Steve said, “Loki! Did he— who made it?”

“I don’t know, I was waiting for you.”

Steve stood up, leaning his weight on the wall. “Ow, I need- can you.”

“I’ve got you, always, end of the line.” Bucky arranged Steve so he could lean on him before he opened the door. “Thought this looked like one of Stark’s properties, but it’s not the Tower.”

“No, it’s not.” Coulson, missing only his prosthetic arm hurried up. “Should either of you be out of bed?”

“Loki, the team?” Steve asked frowning, “Who made it? Daredevil? Did we win?”

“Loki’s-“ Coulson sighed. “If someone was unconscious it seems Thanos didn’t bother with them. He’s dead by the way. His daughters turned up, and there’s a space team, and- Thor and May are dealing with them.”

“Loki?”

“Thor says he’s alive, we haven’t been able to-“

Coulson was cut off by a figure walking cautiously round the corner in very battered clothing. A figure who was both very familiar, and in a body that Steve hadn’t seen in five years.

“Oh thank god.” Steve let out a breath of relief. “Wow, Odin?”

“No clue.” Loki said rushing forward ignoring both Coulson and Bucky to give Steve an awkward hug. “Saved my life.”

After some quick mental arithmetic Coulson said: “Saved a few others too. Are you coming to speak to your brother and the aliens?”

Loki froze. Then nodded, before frowning at Steve. “Can I?”

“Oh,”

“I’m really drained, but,” Loki didn’t bother to finish his sentence as Steve winced as he moved.

“There are worse.” Steve said. “Are there worse?”

“There are worse.” Coulson confirmed, managing to stop his hand reaching for his sidearm.

Loki rolled his eyes. Then asked, with a false air of casualness. “There were children, at the end. And Daredevil, do you know if – Do you know if any of them made it?”

Coulson paused for a moment. “We didn’t pick up any child fatalities from the park. But I’ll ask.”

The kitchen door. The door that led to the kitchen. The door behind which Thor was standing. His brother. He hadn’t seen him in- since he was exiled.

Since before Odin had stripped him not only of his power but of his skin…

Loki had no time to brace himself as Coulson did not pause in pushing the door open.

The large and spacious kitchen beyond has ever seat filled. The sound of many voices was pierced by a booming laugh before one by one the people fell silent and everyone looked at the four of them.

Coulson walked in and over to where two of his agents were leaning.

Frozen, Loki finally managed to take a deep breath in.

There was Thor, bedraggled hair, distinct lack of armour, unrest worried expression. “Loki!”

“Th—“

The air was forcibly evacuated from his lungs by the force of Thor’s arms as they wrapped around him in the tightest hug Loki had ever been subjected to. He hugged back immediately.

“BREATHE!” Loki protested before being released.

“YOU’RE ALIVE!” Thor grinned unwilling to let go of Loki’s arms. “You’re okay! You—You have your magic back!”

“Yes,” Loki bit back the bitter remark. “I should probably be thanking your father for that one.”

“Father’s asleep.” Thor said.

“Ah,”

Thor hugged him again.

Steve winced, then tried to cover it with a cough.

“This is all very touching and all, but can Steve sit down?” Bucky projected over the two brothers blocking the doorway.

They stepped to one side before Bucky practically pushed Steve down in Thor’s old seat. Steve looked around. “Dr Banner, Thor,”

“It’s good to see you Steven Rogers, thank-you for taking care of my brother.”

“I’M FINE!” Tony Stark yelled from outside the door before pushing in and stopping dead at everyone inside. “Right. Still not used to the fact that half of you aren’t dead. Which I should get over, because the fact that the lot of us aren’t dead right now is a surprise too and does anyone know who the fuck the tree is?”

“The raccoon joked about stealing my arm.”

“Are you sure it was a joke?”

“It was if he thought he was going to succeed.”

Bruce, the only person there who didn’t look any worse for wear, smothered a smile.

Tony considered this for a moment. “So public menace?”

“Probably just a public nuisance.” Bucky said.

“Right, right. Hi,”

“Hello,” Steve swallowed. “How’ve you been?”

“Great, you know me, well maybe not if you don’t trust me enough to know that you’re alive. But I’m me, so fantastic, amazing, — ow!” Tony clutched his hand to his shoulder. “Ow, that’s still giving me pain, good to know.”

At which point Clint’s voice came out a speaker moaning something about hating bedrest and letting everyone think he was dead, and Thor replied then Tony bit back some snark before stealing food from Coulson. Bucky sat down next to him and leant over just enough that Steve could feel his presence.

He glanced over to Loki.

Loki was looking at him. He shrugged.

Someone said something, someone said something else.

Bucky said something, clasped his hand on Steve’s shoulder then got up. Loki sat down in his seat.

“You okay?”

Loki nodded. “It’s a little strange. Are you?”

“A little strange.” Steve echoed. “Do you want to go?”

Loki frowned. “Thor, but—“ He looked around, the way no-one’s back was turned against him, the suspicion. Thor seemed happy, but Loki could read his brother, and there was something there. Something beyond the pressure of the throne. Did he want to go? Steve wanted to stay, Thor wanted him to stay and Loki….                                           

It was better than starting again.

Thor blocked his line of sight to the door. It was slightly embarrassing how badly he faked casualness with the (fake) texting then putting his phone back in his pocket. “Can I show you two something, outside?”

The door closed behind them as they followed Thor back down the corridor. He knocked on a door.

“OPEN”

He pushed it open then stepped inside holding it open for them to walk through and see Natasha on the bed.

“Restraints?” Thor asked.

“I might have threatened to stab Helen in the face.”

“You have two broken legs.”

“And two functional arms.”

The cast on her left hand didn’t support this statement but neither Thor nor Steve or Loki were particularly inclined to quibble.

“Are you two going to run this time?”

Steve and Loki exchanged glances.

“Oh stop looking so guilty, it was obvious you didn’t trust us, and fairly obvious why. Sit down and listen.

There was another knock on the door and Coulson popped his head in. “My team’s going to be heading off as soon. If you two want a lift, we can drop you off.”

“I was about to brief them about—“ Natasha paused for a moment, “The other SHIELD and our plans. Two hours?”

“Two hours.” Coulson nodded and withdrew.

“Other SHIELD?” Steve asked, sitting down on the chair by Natasha’s bed.

“Short version? SHIELD is HYDRA, found out just after you left. Been trying to take them down since but with Fury dead and Hill ousted it’s been slow going. The Avengers got out from direct oversight by them about a year ago, but there’s strong links to the government and a power vacuum will be created that there needs to be something in place to fill.”

Steve blinked. “When you say SHIELD is HYDRA…”

“Forty-three percent of all SHIELD agents are active HYDRA personnel. Many more are perfectly happy to work for them.”

“Liars and killers.” Loki mused.

Natasha turned on his coldly. “Don’t tell me you knew.”

“No!” Loki swore, “I only found out what HYDRA was six months ago when Steve started ranting. I just remembered it and thought it was apt.”

“Do you even care?”

Loki let his skin fall back to blue. “Trust me, I have some experience of not exactly being supported by my general population.” He turned it back to his preferred pink. “But even without that, putting pits of madness aside, murdering children is something I find completely morally reprehensible.”

Natasha frowned, weighing up his words, both the obviously insincere, and the ones she found slightly more genuine.

She reached into the bag that was tied to her bed and pulled out two phones tossing them to Steve and Loki. “Coulson’s team are working inside, we’re working on the edge, but we need people outside, who can operate without a public schedule. We’ve got a few friends, but the offer’s there.”

A moment’s discussion later Loki said: “We might be busy, sometimes,” But the two of them pocketed the phones.

“Well, like I said, we have a few other friends. The Defenders are all fine, when they’re not arguing with themselves.”

“There’s a pararescue specialist in Washington who you might like, Steve,” Thor said. “Can’t do much action work, but he’s got admirable wit.”

“If he’s ever in New York, let me know.” Steve said, before turning to Loki, “That is, if you don’t mind staying around.”

He shrugged. “Might be an abandoned building somewhere.”

“Is there an intact one?”

Loki grinned letting the sparks of magic fly over his fingers as they stood up. “Does it matter?”

“Does information?”

*****

Steve leant against the wall, waiting for Loki to get back from whatever Thor had wanted to give him.

Bucky approached.

He tried to duck around a corner, alas there were none in sight.

“You leaving without saying goodbye?” Bucky said standing right in front of him, something on his back.

“Buck, I —“

“Gotta go your own way. I know.” He frowned. “Just cause you gotta doesn’t make it easy.”

“I know.”

Bucky heaved the thing off his back and offered it to Steve. “This is yours.”

Steve opened the carrier just enough to see the paint-free edge of a very familiar shield. “Oh,” It had felt so familiar in his hands in the fight. It had been so good to finally be back in that fight. But… “No, she’s yours.” Steve handed the shield back to him. “The fascists I’m dealing with don’t get a shield.”

“Oh, murder and destabilising the country.” Loki approached the pair. “sounds delightful. We going?”

Steve hefted his own backpack. “Yes.”

There was a pause for a moment. Bucky put his shield back on his back.

“I will see you soon.” Steve swore pulling Bucky in for another hug.

“Soon.” He swore, before releasing him. “You know how to reach us.”

“And you know how to reach us.” Steve said. They clasped forearms, then let each other go. “Give me best to the others.”

They started towards the door. Then Loki called back: “Let Agent Coulson know we’ve declined his offer of a lift.”

Bucky rolled his eyes as he heard a bark of laughter from Thor somewhere behind him.

Steve and Loki, vigilantes of New York, walked out into the sunshine. They were most definitely heard from again.

**Author's Note:**

> IT'S DONE!  
> This was actually written before the new year but couldn't get edited until now, but hey, it's less than a year since the last part!  
> Thank you so much for reading. Thank you if you've read the other parts, thank you for reading if you haven't!  
> If you have time, please leave a comment, let me know what you thought! Kudos are also more than welcome!


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